2009 Saxon Brown “Durell Vineyard” Chardonnay

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$48 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

Winemaker Jeff Gaffner’s career began in 1981 at Chateau St. Jean under the tutelage of renowned vintner Richard Arrowood. Most notably, Jeff was part of the winemaking team responsible for Chateau St. Jean’s 1996 Cinq Cepages, which was named the 1999 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator Magazine.  (We were lucky enough to taste this wine at Carpe Vino and it was awesome!)

In 1997, Jeff, together with wife Terisa, launched the family’s own wine label, Saxon Brown, named for the willful heroine in Jack London’s Valley of the Moon. The winery gained instant recognition for its flagship “old vine” Zinfandel from the family’s Casa Santinamaria Vineyard, one of only a few remaining classic, Italian field blended vineyards. As a second generation Sonoma Valley farmer, Jeff and his family have managed their prized, 100-year-old vineyard in Sonoma since 1934.

In addition to his own brand, Jeff consults on projects in Sonoma and Napa Valley, including Armida Winery, Three Sticks and Sand Hill Wines. Most recently, Jeff was hired to oversee winemaking of Xtant, a luxury Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon label.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “Our 2009 Durrell Vineyard Chardonnay is made in our favored Burgundian style, highlighted by fresh citrus notes and a lovely wet-stone minerality. The 2009 vintage imprint is found in the slightly amplified lemon curd, pot de crème character. The perfect summer wine – with or without food.”

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